


A Slow burn

by MythicalMobster



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 19:24:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6252427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MythicalMobster/pseuds/MythicalMobster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waking up in the snow sounds like one hell of a rude awakening, but waking up in the snow in a completely different timeline sounds down right uncalled for. Why did it happen? Who knows! Sans sure as hell doesn't, but he does know that  he needs to fix it, and also sleeping in snow is not very good for ones health.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [0neType](https://archiveofourown.org/users/0neType/gifts).



> Here we go! My first actual attempt at doing fanfiction so somethings may be wrong and maybe its a bit long, but I enjoyed writing it! Please give me some feed back so I can improve and I hope you enjoy it :)

Why the hell was it so cold? He groaned, and reached down to feel for his blanket, and found that it wasn't there. Instead all he grabbed at was the soft, cold icy touch of snow. That jolted him awake, and Sans shot up and stared at the ground around him. What the hell? How had he gotten out in the middle of snowden forest, and where was Papyrus? 

Rising to his feet he made note that his bones felt heavy, sluggish, when he moved. What the hell was going on? He didn't know, but he knew he needed to get home and crawl into bed. He'd worry about just how he got where he was later. 

Just focus on moving.

Every step felt like he was being weighed down by lead, but he kept going. He was use to being pushed. This was nothing, he told himself, but soon enough he found he was too tired to take another step. Huffing, he stared at one of the trees besides him. Would you look at that, perfect place to take a break. Sans trudged over and let himself fall to the floor, landing on his butt, and let out a shaky breath. He hadn't made that much of a distance, but his legs felt like jelly, and Sans wanted so badly to scream at himself to stop being such a pathetic pansy.

His mind reeled, thinking of the consequences of being found in such a weak state. It was enough of a frightening thought that a shiver ran up his spin, and he cursed himself for being so god damn useless. Why wouldn't his body cooperate? Papyrus was right about him being worthless. He couldn't even bring himself to make it back home without his body giving out. He berated himself as he rubbed at his eyes, trying hard to keep from crying like some baby bones, a voice in his head repeating insults over and over, sounding oddly like his brother.

Lazy, weak, pathetic, useless god damn piece of shit. 

Continuously, like a twisted mantra, the voice droned on, and he couldn't argue. It was true. He was all those things, and more. His brother reminded him of that fact daily, and the cracks in his bones, and skull served to make sure he didn't forget his place. A reminder to remember how lucky he was to have such a merciful brother, one who would allow him to continue living with how weak he was.

Sans shook, his body shuddering from more then just the cold. He hadn't realized he had failed to keep the tears at bay, and he was now bawling like some pussy. He tried to stop them, wiping at his sockets with his sleeves, but that only served to exacerbate the problem it seemed. It was too late, the flood gates were open, and Sans entire body was shaking its self to pieces.

His breath hitched as he tried to pull himself together. 

Calm down, breath. Get ahold of yourself.

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut, and clenching his teeth. Now was not the best time to be having a mental breakdown, he knew, but no matter what he did he couldnt seem to get enough air to his nonexistent lungs and the voice in his head was screaming at him every fault he had. Sans tried to block it out.

It took several very long minutes for Sans to calm himself down enough to stop hyperventilating, but big heavy tears still fell from his eyes, and he was just glad no one was around to see what a mess he was. He was thankful for the peace, and could almost let himself relax a bit after his little episode.....  
Almost.

A hand landed on his shoulder and his soul nearly jumped right out his body. Jelly legs, or not he was up and on his feet in seconds, tears forgotten, spinning on his heel to come face to face with.....himself? Well, not completely himself. The small monster in front of him stared at him with large, worried eyes, hand still outstretched, and frown on his rounded face. Sans knew that this little....fucking blueberry muffin was some alternate version of himself, but it weirded him out, and he was too busy starring at the not-sans to really let what that fact meant sink in.

It was like staring into some twisted funhouse mirror or something. This sans, standing in front of him was innocent. His eyes held hope, a feeling that was lost to the taller of the two, and his features weren't haunted. He wasn't broken, and worn down like the other sans was. Jealousy burned in him as the blueberry dropped his hand and put on a smile. Was that what a genuine smile looked like? Looking at the two together they were so different, and it was almost too hard for Sans to believe they were, technically, the same person.

"Gosh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you, uh...me," blueberry gave him a sheepish smile, fiddling with the blue scarf around his neck. Sans gave him a distrustful look, taking a step back. The others smile faltered a bit at that but he continued, "um, are...are you ok?"

The question seemed to confused Sans, as if he didn't understand it. Logically he knew what the words meant, but no one had ever asked him such a thing, and the more he thought about it, and the more it sunk in, the more he started to realize that somehow he wasnt in his own timeline anymore, and the one he was in now was very different from his own. A new sense of panic started to well in his chest.

Sans wasn't an idiot, if anything. It was the one praise he'd allow himself, the fact that he had a brain, and he frequently tended to use it, despite what Papyrus would have others believe. His machines had churned out hundreds of readings, but never had he thought he'd ever be able to prove the data right. Reality as a whole was expansive, stretching out across multiple universes, creating different, unique timelines across a vast multiverse, or so his (now proven) research suggested. He wracked his brain trying to figure out just how he had managed to leap across not just his own dimensions time and space, but also into anothers, and just when it had happened. 

In front of him, the timeline native Sans watched him with confusion and worry, taking in his cross universal twin.Unlike our friendly neighborhood blueberry, this new Sans looked to be...less stable. His outward appearance was downright frightening to the smaller Sans (even though it was also pretty cool. Golly look at those teeth.) and the way he carried himself was worrying. 

Though he was taller by a couple inches, and seemed to look bigger, Sans could tell it was mostly the monsters bulky hoodie that helped give off that illusion. He wasn't the healthiest, and seemed to be undernourished. Sans soul seemed to burn with the need to help this version of himself, but by the way he had reacted to a simple touch on the shoulder showed it wasn't going to be easy to get him to cooperate, not to mention his sheer confusion over being asked about his well being. Blueberry got the impression that where ever he was from, people didn't treat him very nice. 

Clearing his throat, he brought attention back to himself, and tried to put on a big smile, even though the look he was given made him shudder. "Do you need help,"he tried once again, and the other seemed to take a moment to regard him with untrusting eyes. He looked to be scanning for any sign he was going to attack. 

Blueberry moved slowly, keeping his distance, making sure the other could see both his hands so as not to spook him. It felt oddly like dealing with a wild animal, but then again, the other did remind him of such, with his wide red eyes, critical of every move the shorter made, but still he didn't give off a predator vibe....no he was more like the prey backed in the corner.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I'm Sans, er well I guess you knew that huh? Do you know where you are?"

Sans glared at the damn blueberry. What was he trying to pull? He watched him closely, whole body tense, as he moved just that much more closer to him, stopping a good foot or so away. An itching need to get as far away as possible burned in his bones, but he kept himself still. 

"Of course I know where I am. I'm not a fucking idiot,"he snapped. Blueberry frowned, but he was determined.

"Of course you're not! You're me, and I'm brilliant! "He laughed lightly, the noise grated on Sans' nerves. He was tired of this timeline, this other version of himself, and the conversation, but mostly he was just tired. He ran a hand down his face and groaned, " Will you shut the fuck up," Sans all but growled.His counterpart obliged, and Sans was thankful for that. Blueberry could see the exhaustion in the others face.

"Hey, why don't you come home with me? It might not be what you're use to, but you could rest and get your energy back,"he offered. Sans' immediate reaction would have been to decline, and get the hell out of dodge, but seeing as he was now stuck smack down in the fucking middle of dodge, he seemed to have no other option, and after battling with himself, he sighed, defeated, and slumped against a tree.

"Fine,"he looked anywhere but at the little blue fucker who smiled excitedly, and reached a hand out to him. Sans glared at the offending appendage, smacking it away and starting off towards the house, keeping a safe distance from the other skeleton, even if he figured he wasn't much of a threat.

He'd have to figure out how to get back to his own timeline later, but for now he was dead on his feet, and frankly he was running out of steam to give two shits about anything. He just wanted to sleep, but until he could he'd focus on putting one step in front of the other, and on ignoring the rambling blue idiot behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a bit longer then I wanted. It was getting a bit long so I cut it in half, which is why it probably ends on an odd note.

If there was a medal for knowing when time and space pulled some primo bullshit, Papyrus would hold the gold. When ever a shift was about to happen his magic would flare up. Usually it would either fade away in a short amount of time, or it'd spark as he was thrown back to the beginning. It was common place to him. Now, however neither of those things were happening.   
A cold feeling ran through his bones, despite the warmth of Muffets cafe. The air around him felt wrong, and though he tried to ignore it, and enojy the company he was in, worry crept its way into his thoughts. Something nagged at the back of his mind. 

You need to get home. 

Placing money on the counter, he stood and headed towards the door. Muffet waved good bye to him as he headed out, doing his best to hide his worry with a smile.Home wasn't that far away. 

A short walk, and he was standing infront of the little two story house. The lights were on, casting a yellow glow onto the pathway. Though he tried to set his mind at ease, that familiar sense of wrongness clung to him. It was getting late, Sans must be making dinner now, he told himself. A vain attempt to ease the worry that pooled in his gut, which only grew as he walked through the door. 

The house was oddly quiet. Usually Sans would have the tv on, tuned into Napstablooks show, or be in the kitchen humming some melody as he cooked. Now, there was only a heavy silence, and Papyrus' soul grew cold before he heard a noise from the kitchen. It sounded like someone had dropped a pan, and oddly enough, that seemed to ease the tall skeleton. If only slightly. 

He's fine. Sans was fine.

Stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets, he made way towards the kitchen, still trying to reassure himself. Papyrus had expected to see his brother, instead the monster he found was not his Sans. The smile he had on his face fell, replaced with a cold, hard glare. 

Here was the source of the worry, like some weird time-space error, standing in his kitchen.

Sans, was staring up at Papyrus, eyes wide, and back pressed against the counter. Was he...scared? No, he wasn't just scared he looked utterly terrified. Like he had been caught in some heinous act. The monster tried to hide the fact he was shaking, moving himself further away from the tall Skeleton in the doorway, and tried to muster a glare to match Papyrus'.

It didn't work very well. Papyrus could see through his act, and took a step forward. In turn Sans took a step back, trying to find his voice, but he couldnt make the words come out.

"Where's my brother,"Papyrus' voice was cold, and harsh. Untrusting. It sent chills up the smaller monsters spine, and made him falter, if only a little. Again he tried to speak, but his voice was gone, and only a strangled whine came out.

When he didn't get an answer, Papyrus narrowed his eyes, and summoned up every ounce of magic he could. It felt violent, and angry, and the air was thick with it. Sans flinched, as this universes Papyrus made his way closer. "Where is my Sans," he demanded, and by the tone he held, Sans knew, he wasn't going to ask again.

All he got was a string of incoherent words. 

Despite the fear rising in his gut, Sans tried to make himself appear bigger, even though that was nearly impossible. Panic rose in him, but he tried to push it down. Away. He couldn't run. He still felt weak from earlier. His legs still nothing but jelly, and bones as heavy as lead.As he was now, he couldn't do anything, but Sans was a stubborn asshole. A vindictive, stubborn asshole. 

If this fuck wanted to kill him, he was going to have to work for it. 

Sans' own magic sparked, red, and hot in his panic. Conjured bones were sent flying towards Papyrus, just bearly missing him as he dodged the attack. He glared at Sans, eyes barring daggers, and prepared his own attack. He would have aimed it right at the others head had his brother not ran in to investigate the commotion. 

The air cleared as the two monsters stopped their assault on eachother. The timeline native Sans had their attention. "What on earth is going on," he looked around at the mess, and frowned, eyes looking towards his brother. Papyrus frowned and avoided the smaller monsters stare. 

Maybe he felt guilty.

With the situation defused, Blueberry had a chance to assess the damage. It wasn't too bad. The wall could be fixed, and the tile on the floor replaced, but the stove was going to have to be tossed. He bemoaned the fact, giving Papyrus a light slap to the side. He turned his attention to the other Sans.

Red, as he had taken to calling him, was still slightly shaken, eyes wide and fearful, though he tried to hide it behind a scowl. Sans made note of how his eyes darted from the floor to Papyrus with a sense of panic. That fact cemented his theory that Red's world wasn't a nice place to live.

"Sorry little bro....I thought... well its not important,"Papyrus' voice brought the other from his train of thought. Sans let out a huff, and put his hands on his hips. The sight would have probably been funny in some other situation, but now it just baffled Red. 

"Papy, you don't just start fights with other monsters,"he berated the elder, who shrugged, his whole demeanor having changed in a matter of minutes. Papyrus looked relaxed, the anger having fallen away from his features the moment his brother walked in. What kind of fucked up place was this, Red thought, looking between the two as they talked. Sans was scolding his brother, all wagging fingers, and playful smacks. Papyrus didn't seem to bat an eye at the other, laughing even at the smaller skeleton. It was wrong, and twisted.

Something burned in him.

"Red, are you ok," Sans asked, turning away from his brother, eyeing him. He put a hand on his shoulder, and Red flinched away, putting as much distance between the two as he could.

"Don't touch me," it had meant to be at least somewhat threatening, but it came out more like a plea. He could have kicked himself for sounding so pathetic. Blueberry held his hand up in understanding, giving him a small smile. 

"Ok, I'll keep my hands to myself," this kid was ridiculous. He was too fucking happy. Too bright, and that annoyed Red. Or maybe.... He glared at the ground, not sure what this feeling growing in his soul was.

Sans watched him with curious blue eyes for a moment, before turning to his brother and shoving him to the couch. They could talk more in the other room. Papyrus complied, and Sans turned to Red who was now staring after the two with a strange look in his eye. "Come on,"he motioned him to follow as he strolled out of the kitchen. A moment later, Red followed hesitantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paps not a very trusting person btw. Tbh I wouldn't be either if I found my brothers edgy twin standing in my kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had more of this typed out. I did. And a better end to this chapter. Lets just say power outages suck, and always save...like after every damn sentence apparently ugh.

He had never noticed just how small their couch was, but now, doing his best to keep a safe distance from the other two monsters that shared the space with him(mostly the taller of the two), he noted that it was unbearably tiny. Red hadn't ever realized this fact before. He also never noticed how cold his home was until he felt how warm and lived in this version was. Compared to it, could his really be called a home? Of course not. The thought was kind of funny, but mostly it was just sad. 

Besides him on the unbearably small couch, Blueberry watched Red fidget, and press himself as far back into the cushions as possible. He was visibly uncomfortable with being so close to someone else, and when their eyes met the smaller monster thought he might have seen tears. 

Well that's not good. Blueberry didn't like how suddenly small his counterpart looked. Like he was trying his hardest to curl in on himself. Was it to be less noticeable, or was it a built in defense mechanism? Both, he'd wager. Nonetheless the other still tried his hardest to muster up a nasty glare when he noticed him starring. Blueberry simply responded by standing up to give him space.

With room to breath, Red calmed down just a bit, a small (very small) part of him was thankful for Blueberry's incessant need to mother him. Truthfully the little blue fucker had been doing it since the moment they met. It unnerved Red. Who does that? Did he want something from him? 

Now wasn't the time to worry about that, however because Papyrus was moving. Red's eyes went right to him, and any anxiety he had previously thought gone was now back in full force. Papyrus had turned to look at him, eyes bearing into him, scanning for.... what exactly? Red squirmed under that gaze, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Alright, asshole, how'd you get here? You sure as hell don't belong in this timeline, so spill," his voice had a hard edge to it, and despite the relaxed posture, it was obvious that he was still irritated from the events of earlier. A gasp left Blueberry, and he turned to his brother, ready to scold him some more. 

"Don't be rude,"

It didn't bother Red, oddly enough. He was use to being called rude things. It gave him atleast a small bit of familiarity in this weird world. So long as the monster wasn't looming over him threateningly he could call him what ever the fuck he wanted. Still, though, his nerves were shot to hell, and it took some effort on his part to stammer out a response. 

"I don't remember, " he finally managed to get out. It was true, Red couldn't remember how he had gotten here. His mind was fuzzy every time he tried to think back, and he'd only ever be able to get a few flashes of things. A darkroom, cold steel, and a feeling of hopelessness. It made him feel sick trying to piece it together, so he had stopped dwelling on it. At least for now. Instead, he focused on the faded carpet at his feet, trying to ignore the eyes on him.

Papyrus didnt know if he believed him. He certainly didn't trust him. This Sans was too on edge, and that, in turn, put the taller skeleton on edge. Regardless, though, he didn't have a say in the matter because by the look in his brothers eyes he already knew where this was going. 

"You really don't remember, Red? That's horrible! We cant let you go out there with no clue on how to get home," 

There it was. Sans' mama bird voice. Papyrus would have laughed at how well he could read his brother if he wasn't so pissed off with the situation. Truthfully he wanted to reject the idea of helping the other monster, but he knew he couldn't. Helping was what his brother did best, after all, and what kind of older brother would he be if he refused to let him do what he was best at? 

Currently, Sans was pondering on what to do with Red. He wanted to help him, so what better way then to help him remember? It might help put Reds mind at ease on the situation, and it would give him the chance to get closer to his cross-universal twin. An idea popped in his head, and he nearly bursted with excitement. 

"Well, Red, if you don't remember than we'll have to help you remember, " Blueberry was beaming. It was like warmth was radiating off him. His face was alight with a large smile, and holy shit, were those actual fucking stars in his eyes?

If Red had been any type of not fucked up, he might have thought the show of open emotions was endearing. However, it was probably the grossest thing in existence to him at the moment. Even more then himself. Red bit back the sudden urge to spit insults at the other, instead opting to let his expression do the talking for him... well he tried to, at least.

"How the fuck would you, of all people, be able to help,"

The little fucker laughed, and it threw Red off guard. This kid was so weird. 

"Our worlds have to be alike somehow! Maybe taking you around will jog your memory, but until then you can stay with us," Blueberry was giving him a large smile, and Red had to give him some credit. That was a pretty solid thought process. Maybe the brat wasn't a complete moron.

Welp, either way, he was out of options, so he let out a sigh and agreed. It was amazing how happy the brat got. He plopped back down on the couch, causing the other to jump a bit and started to babble. He wouldn't shut up. 'We have to go to waterfall, and oh! You need to meet Undyne, she'd love to help,' and on and on and on. It was annoying, but it was something to focus on, other then the hard glare he was getting from Papyrus. It was the same one from earlier, and it held both a warning and a promise. 

Watch yourself. 

A sickening feeling tried to crawl its way up his throat. He forced it down, and kept his gaze on Blueberry. It all sounded like static to him now. He wasn't going to be getting any sleep that night. Not with Papyrus so close.

He still felt like shit... Why couldn't he take a nap like He had planned?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No naps for you, edgy.

**Author's Note:**

> So how does a skeleton cry with out eyes? MAGIC!


End file.
